Having never been to Las Vegas nor been allured by its "charms" - I crazily booked a weekend for Valentine's. Going with the lower cost package I thought myself a great deal maker and I admit I did great with the accommodations....it was the horrid flights thru Detroit that will mar my memories for years to come.
But enough of that for now....Enter the magical world of Vegas.
Meet the front entry of the Aria Resort on the Strip, one of the newest and hottest spots in Vegas and home to the show "Viva Elvis" by Cirque de Soleil.
Hundreds of beautiful red lanterns for the Chinese New Year greeted us upon our arrival in the lobby of this beautiful hotel. Trust me, no expense was spared anywhere. And yet, the welcome was warm and being the smart Wisconsin woman I am, the deal very good!
Our first night, we dined in the Italian restaurant, Sirio, one of several very fine and delish restaurants in the hotel. Unfortunately, I was in the midst of the second day of a horrid cold and could only see but not taste the great food. Todd tells me the Tiramisu was as glorious as it looked. I can't remember much. I made it back to the room, and passed out sicker than a dog.
Todd managed without me and went out with our Vegas friends (soon to be LA friends) Mike and Sylvia whose fabulous wedding we attended at
Lake Tahoe last fall 
Saturday morning burns brightly in my memory though. I was feeling nearly human and very rested after 12 hours of sleep, YAY! And on the road to recovery.
Mike calls and offers to give us the native tour of Vegas. So the next few hours are spent in a 1989 BWM convertible seeing the sights! What a fab time! As this was a typical trip for Todd and me, it is packed with things to do.
After a fun day with Mike, we get back to the hotel for a bit of a rest. Because Sylvia got us tickets to see
VIVA ELVIS!!!! of which she is of the Cirque de Soleil Props Department extraordinaire.
Okay, I know he's dead, but still, the excitement of the show brought back so many memories of actually seeing Elvis
TWICE in concert back in the 70s in Madison with my Mama!
Note to Mama! This time I got a scarf!!!! (Remember my little voice on your tape recorder, saying "I'm so excited!!!"?)
Wow, the show is not only a tribute to the "King" but all of his legion of fans and their fond, fond memories.
Also, because this is Vegas, that same night after the show, we met up with M&S at the best restaurant in Vegas - way, way off the strip called
Rosemary's Restaurant. This is a Michelin recommended restaurant. The detail paid to attention was amazing. And the food was out of this world though every course. From the knowledgeable waiter(ess) to the sommelier who brought the perfect wines, to the delivery of courses en masse. This is definitely a restaurant Raine, my future chef, needs to check out!
After that fab dinner, and a few miles back to the strip to Downtown Vegas we checked out Fremont Street (recommended by my Dad) which is now covered with a light show and no road traffic. (I'm thinking Madison's State Street could benefit from this idea!) Actually, we spent two nights down here where the bars and downtown scene were great, drinks were flowing and the people were fab.
So to start to close this story....here's a shot of the entry to the
Aria - A whole wall of water blazing in a desert. This is definitely Uptown. Vegas is totally over the top. Adult Disney World. Consumer City. All that is crazy about America. But, I still love it!
So the original purpose of the trip, was to reward Todd for putting up with me for 25 years. 25 Valentine days - or as my east coast friends would say "Oh mouy Gawd". I say the same thing myself... Dang, I still love that boy!
Did I mention how amazing the hotel was? The details were every where including the floor - check out just one of the marble inlaid floors in the casino.
So to end the tale. The only thing that marred the trip was that we flew through Detroit both ways. The way to Vegas was greeted with a three hour lay-over. Okay, I can deal. But the flight back Sunday afternoon....after a three hour flight from Vegas arriving at 9pm eastern time, walking a mile down the terminal because the tram was out of service, we find our flight delayed. At 1am we finally admit defeat and get a hotel voucher to only wake up at 5am to get back to the airport for a fun body scan and a 7:30 am flight back to Madison.
Okay, Todd and I both agreed that we'll go back to Vegas some day. We'll take a week, see the Grand Canyon, Brice and Lake Mead and one more night at the Aria.....
New Orleans has always been my favorite American city (beside Madison) and I've been there 5 times now. I love the gritty and sometimes, smelly city filled with history, nooks and crannies.
One day we did a plantation run along the Mississippi. The Oaks Alley Plantation was, as you can see just stunning. What a dichotomy of people and a way of life. It was a very thought provoking visit to walk through slave quarters and see and feel the way African Americans lived in the South and were treated. As a Northerner and descendant of several Civil War Veterans, I felt a new bond with my great grandfathers who left their little non-plantation Wisconsin farms to fight a war of justice and freedom.
Last day in New Orleans was another hot and steamy one with temps in the 90s. It actually felt pretty good knowing that we were leaving for frigid and frosty Wisconsin.
I've finally gathered the photos from two separate cameras and uploaded them for your viewing pleasure.
It's around 70 degrees today in Washington DC. Last night we saw the playoff games for the Championship on Saturday. The second game was fast, furious and high scoring with Boston University pulling out the win. 
Sounds like the family had a great time skiing in Taos, NM. I've heard some details about the wonderfully warm weather (i can't remember, because my brain is too Wisconsin frozen), great ski conditions (skiied 3 1/2 straight days) and fun sight-seeing. Todd and Raine aren't always the best about details....
I've always wanted to visit Taxco, Mexico. I was in 7th grade when I first learned about this silver making city. In November, I finally made it there. What a fabulous town! The city center or zocolo has a very colonial look and feel. While visiting Taxco for a few days, we enjoyed a wonderful stay at the Hotel Agua Enscondida, located right across the street from Santa Prisca, the main cathedral of the city. 
The reason for this post is to share with you the photo taken by Todd. He calls it "Jesus Behind Chairs". While walking around and into the cathedral, every door was open and we could peek in everywhere. This room was off the back of the cathredral and under the dome. It's used for storage, obviously. Todd thought the photo captured the essence of Jesus waiting to be discovered.
We spent the beginning of our trip in Mexico City for the first three days. This was during the Day of the Dead celebrations (La Dia del Muerto). Above is the mosaic-tiled building at the University where our friend Lenny is working. One night the students put on a huge celebration with floats, displays and music.
Then it was off to the silver city of Taxco for a relaxing three day stay which included some silver purchases as you can imagine.
We then headed south to Acapulco which was way too hot and humid for me. It was 90 degrees with about 100% humidity - Yech. The ocean was beautiful. (The picture above is the sunset in Acapulco on Thursday) However, I found the city of Acapulco very disorganized, gritty and not very driver friendly. We actually stayed about 10 km northwest in a village called Pie de la Cuesta. Very quaint, but not fully recovered from the 1997 hurricane that destroyed many of the hotels and other businesses.
Finally, we landed back in Mexico City on Sunday for a relaxing evening before the flight back home on Monday.
It's been an action-packed few days here in Mexico City. From the displays at the University for the Dia del Muertos (day of the dead) to sight seeing at the Zocolo (historic city center) where the cathedral and congress buildings are to the Museum of National Anthopology (pictured is the Aztec Goddess, Coatlicue as seen at the museum) We have seen so much.
These photos were taken last year at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico. I was overwhelmed by the sheer brilliance of the people who live here hundreds of years ago.
The people of this area of New Mexico really lived and used the land which they lived. Pictured above are actual footholds used on a mesa of generations of families walking through their daily lives. 
They lived simply using the natural resources available. Pictured above is a doorway of a cave-like structure carved into the soft volcanic rock walls of the mesa. Amazing!
To make walking easier, cobblestone paths were laid. Not much different than we do today. 